Twelve traits of genuine people

Many researchers say that your performance at work is highly dependant on your emotional intelligence (EQ). By testing more than a million people, TalentSmart found that EQ is responsible for 58 percent of success in all kinds of jobs. People with low EQ make $29,000 less annually than people with high EQ. Around 90 percent of top performers have high EQs, and a single-point increase in your EQ can add $1,300 to your salary. Emotional intelligence is a very good way of focusing your energy in one direction with amazing results.

But if you are not genuine, emotional intelligence won’t help you much.

The Foster School of Business at the University of Washington recently published a study which showed that people are skeptical and don’t accept demonstrations of emotional intelligence at the face value. People want to know that your emotions are authentic and real, they don’t just want to see signs of EQ.

Christina Frog, the lead researcher said that coworkers “are not just mindless automatons, they think about the emotions they see and care whether they are sincere or manipulative.”

This study also showed that sincere leaders are much more effective at motivating their workers because they inspire admiration and trust through their words and actions. A large number of leaders say that authenticity is very important to them but the genuine ones show that through their action.

You can check if you are genuine by comparing yourself and your behavior to the people who are genuine. Here are some traits of the genuine people to help you compare and improve yourself:

Genuine people don’t try to make people like them.

Genuine people are always trying to be only themselves. They are aware that not everybody will like them, and they don’t mind that. Not that they just don’t care, but they won’t let other people’s opinions on them get in the way of doing the things they want to in the way they think is right. If they think something needs to be done, it doesn’t matter to them if it’s unpopular.

They don’t try to show off as they are not desperate for attention. They know that showing that they are important won’t really help when talking to others, that’s why they speak in a friendly and confident manner.

They don’t pass judgment.

Genuine people are interesting to others and approachable because they are open minded. People who have formed their opinions and are not willing to listen to others are not interesting to talk to.

Being open minded in the workplace is crucial, it gives you access to help and new ideas. Try seeing the world through other peoples’ eyes in order to eliminate preconceived notions. You don’t need to share beliefs with other people you just need to stop passing judgment long enough to truly understand what makes them tick. That is the only way to let them be who they are.

They forge their own paths.

Genuine people follow their own internal compasses because they see no satisfaction or pleasure in the opinions of others. They don’t want to pretend to be somebody else. They are driven by their own values and principles, it does not matter if somebody doesn’t like it.

They are generous.

There will always be people who hold back their resources or knowledge. They think that giving you the access to everything you need to do the job will lead to you outperforming them, and that scares them. On the other hand, genuine people are always generous with the resources and knowledge they have access to. They always want to help you do your best because they are team players, they don’t think that you doing great will make them look lame. For them, your success is their success.

They treat everyone with respect.

It doesn’t matter if they are in a restaurant, at work, or having coffee with a friend, genuine people treat everyone everywhere with respect. They know that there is no use to be polite in front of their colleagues if the colleagues after see them behaving badly toward others. Genuine people know they are not better than anyone else, and that is exactly why they treat everyone with respect.

They aren’t motivated by material things.

Fancy and expensive stuff means nothing to genuine people. It does not necessarily mean they think it’s wrong to buy the latest items and show off your status, they can just be happy without it. For them, happiness comes from within. They like the little pleasures, such as family, friends, a sense of purpose etc.

They are always trustworthy.

One of the factors why people love to be among genuine people is because they know they can trust them. When you don’t know how someone really feels and who they really are, it’s not easy to trust them or even like them. Genuine people always keep their promises and mean what they say.

They are thick-skinned.

Genuine people are not the ones who see the offense where there isn’t one. They will never see a critique as a personal attack. They often don’t see the reason to feel insulted. They know how to evaluate constructive and negative feedback and put into practice that what works and not develop hard feelings because of the rest.

They put away their phones.

Texting in the middle of a conversation or even glancing at your phone for a second can be a turn off for many people. That is why genuine people are focused and committed to the conversation. Conversation is always more fun and enjoyable if you immerse yourself in it. On the other hand, having a fake approach with small talk and your phone in front of your face won’t leave a very good impression. For genuine people, even everyday short conversations can serve to connect with people. This ability has to do with their real interest in other people which makes it easy to ask the right questions and connect with the speaker.

They aren’t driven by ego.

Not deciding according to the ego is the result of the ability to be feel good without admiration from others. Genuine people also don’t want to take credit for other people’s achievements. In other words, they are able to do the job and not draw attention to themselves on purpose.

They aren’t hypocrites.

Genuine people will never tell you to do one thing and do the different thing themselves.That is because of their self-awareness. Most hypocrites are blind to their weaknesses and don’t recognize their mistakes. Genuine people are not like that, they focus first on themselves and fix their problems.

They don’t brag.

We have all confronted the kind of people who are always talking about their achievements. They do this because they are insecure and worried that no one will notice their accomplishments if they don’t point them out. Genuine people are always confident and aware that as long as you do something that matters it doesn’t matter how many appreciated and noticed it.